Connecticut Cop Caught On Video Hitting Black Suspect

A police officer in Hartford, Connecticut, was caught on video (below) hitting a black man in an alley while a second officer held the man on Sunday.

Lashon Wavey Byrd, a witness in a nearby building, filmed part of the incident on his cell phone (video below) and posted it to Facebook on Monday.

The video shows one cop holding the man while a second officer hits him with an object several times while demanding he get on the ground, noted PhotographyIsNotACrime.com.

The Hartford Police Department identified the man as Samuel Bryant and the cops as Detective Brian Salkeld and Officer Robert Fogg.

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Hartford Police Chief James Rovella, who held a press conference today, claimed that the force used by the police was appropriate, but is starting an internal affairs investigation.

Police claim that Salkeld and Fogg stopped Bryant on Sunday after allegedly witnessing him drinking an open container of alcohol from a brown bag.

The police report said that Bryant was searched by the officers who reportedly found a knife, but felt an object in Bryant's coat that they believed could be a gun.

The police report also claims that there was a struggle between the police and Bryant, which included Bryant hitting Salkeld in the nose, temporarily knocking him unconscious.

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Police claim that Fogg used a Taser on Bryant twice, and physically tried to take him down on the ground. Salkeld reportedly also tried to bring the twice-tased man to the ground; that is about when the video begins.

Bryant was allegedly found to have crack and powdered cocaine, but was not carrying firearm as police initially believed.

Bryant "was charged with drinking in public, interfering with police, assault on a public safety officer and possession of narcotics" and "possession with intent to sell a controlled substance, possession with intent to sell a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school and second-degree assault," noted the Hartford Courant.

According to the police report, Bryant said he did not mean to hit Salkeld, and added, "I panicked. I have a problem with drinking. I apologized to the officer and he accepted my apology. I apologized to the [sergeant], also."

Bishop John Selders Jr., of the United Church of Christ in Hartford, said on Tuesday before Rovella released the details, "I don't quite know the circumstances, we see the video from midstream. But what I can say is that no human being should be subjected to that. This was inhumane, we don't treat dogs like that."

After hearing the details, Selders stated, "I think we always need to treat people humanely." Selders, who led a #BlackLivesMatter march, said his group was going to bring more attention to the incident and the community.